Star Trek: The Great Exploration
by SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: A year after Amanda and Sarek return to Earth, they find themselves growing restless with the monotony of daily life, and they head to Vulcan for their official bonding. But of course nothing can ever go as planned with these two, and they find themselves trapped in a new kind of hell. Sequel to Star Trek: Forward Through Time, but you don't have to read that one
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hey so surprisingly enough a lot of people are still reading Star Trek: Forward Through Time even though it's been over for a long time. So I'm not really sure if there will be any interest here, but I'm thinking that it might be sequel time. If this is a really bad idea just let me know haha. Also, I know I said it would be out like yesterday, but there ended up being a lot going on (my best friend's birthday!) and I didn't have any time to work on this, so sorry for that. And you don't have to have read the first one to read this one!**

Amanda tripped over her own feet and stumbled down onto the ground. She sat there for a moment, then laughed at her own clumsiness. "I swear that that was not on purpose this time!"

Sarek refrained from rolling his eyes, as that would be much too human of an action, but found his mind filled with nothing but fond thoughts as he looked upon his t'hy'la. She quickly scrambled back up to her feet, unaware of Sarek's close observations. She went back to examining the flower that she'd found on the ground. It was a rather unique looking specimen, but Sarek doubted it had any particularly useful properties.

After a few more minutes, he cleared his throat. "Not to seem like a bother, but I believe your mother is expecting us back for dinner in approximately zero point five hours. We should leave now if we wish to make it back on time."

Amanda walked over to Sarek, a handful of flowers gathered in her hands. "Look, they're so pretty."

Sarek nodded. "I suppose if anyone were to be qualified to understand the meaning of that word, it would be you."

Amanda smiled, and her cheeks turned a light pink. "You always say just the sweetest things." As they walked back to their car, holding hands, Amanda peered up at Sarek out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, do you ever think about what our future selves are doing?"

Sarek shook his head. "It would be illogical to dwell on them, as they are not us and the actions they take in their current time cannot affect us in any way. Unless you were speaking of the future versions of ourselves, rather than those we encountered last year, in which case I do find my thoughts occasionally straying towards thinking of our future. Why do you ask?"

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know. It seems scary to think about the future. Some people might think that going there would be enough to make it seem less scary, but it really isn't. And sometimes I can't help constantly looking over my shoulder like those stupid aliens are going to be there. They had two ships and we only took one, and they can travel through time, so why haven't they come back here yet? Or what if they got the future me after all?"

Sarek frowned. "That is not something you have to worry about, as I know for a fact that I would never allow that to happen. Whether it is right now, or forty years from now, I will always protect you from anyone or anything that may wish to cause you harm or distress. Perhaps in this case those 'stupid aliens', as you put it, have learned that we are stronger than them and have given up. The fact that it has been an entire year without any further incident should be proof of that."

"I know you want to protect me from everything, Sarek, but that's not possible even for someone as incredible as you. You can't protect me from the nightmares that I have so often." She tried to pull her hand away from Sarek's, but he tightened his grip a little bit.

The Vulcan frowned. "I thought that those times I calmed your mind in the night would be enough. If it is not, then perhaps we should think of heading to Vulcan sooner rather than later. Once we're officially bonded, we would have a strong mental connection that would allow me to sooth those dreams. I will protect you from everything, Amanda. I mean that."

Amanda smiled. "You're the one who wanted to stick around on Earth. And at first I wasn't so sure about it, but now I think that that was a good idea. It's taken a while, but I'm finally starting to get through to my family, and I think that once my brother leaves for college, things will be much easier at home. I love you and I want to be with you forever, but I guess I'm selfish. Now that I've had you and my family for so long, I don't want to give up having everything." She frowned, and looked down at her feet as they continued to move forwards. "But I've been taking you away from your family for way too long, and it isn't fair. Maybe it would be best if you just went back to Vulcan. With modern technology, we could still talk everyday, and when I'm feeling more ready to leave, I could meet you there."

There was a long moment of silence before Sarek responded. "It would be illogical for me to 'miss' my family, as I can speak with them whenever necessary. Also, as a Vulcan I know that I will have a much longer lifespan than you, and I can always spend more time with my family many years from now when you are gone. I love you, Amanda, and I love spending time with you. If Earth is where you are happiest, then I do not wish to take that away from you. However, if you could find the idea of a small absence from this planet to be acceptable, then we could go to Vulcan to be bonded, and then return here. My parents understand that as an ambassador, I have many duties to attend to on Earth, and I can assure you that their feelings are not hurt by my being here."

Amanda paused so that she could throw her arms around Sarek's neck in a tight hug. "Oh, you're the craziest Vulcan I've ever met! I love you more than anything. And I've already told you before that I'd be happy to be bonded to you. I can't imagine ever wanting to be with someone the way I want to be with you. You make me the happiest girl in the world."

"Logically, you have not met every female in the world, and also happiness is an emotion which means it cannot be weighed. Therefore, you have no way of knowing who holds the highest percentage of happiness." His expression softened. "However, I will not deny that I am pleased by your response."

The two of them hurried back to their car, and drove as quickly as they could back to Amanda's house. Now that she had her license, she was the one driving whenever she could, though Sarek found the way she often sped up unnecessarily to be slightly irritating and possibly a safety hazard.

When they reached the house, they both got out of the car and walked inside. Amanda's parents were already seated in the dining room. They weren't particularly surprised to see Sarek, as he came around quite often, but they'd yet to get to the point where they actually liked him. At least they'd gotten better in the last year, and had stopped trying to force him to eat meat whenever he came over.

As they were eating, Amanda's father, Michael, looked over at Sarek with an innocent curiosity. "So I saw on the news that there's a big fight going on in Starfleet. Apparently the two head honchos are fighting over which one of them will be better at teaching the students with their methods. One guy, Admiral Baren, wants to focus more on the individual tracks students can take, like command, communications, science, whatever. This other lady, Admiral Yera, wants everyone to be taking the same courses for several years, with just a couple differing classes depending on each kids chosen specialty. Everyone's going nuts over the two potential policies. What do you think, Sarek?"

Though the human adults would be unable to see it, Amanda could tell that Sarek felt uncomfortable. Whenever her parents asked him seemingly innocent questions, they almost always turned out to be traps used to make fun of Sarek or to put him down. "Well, on Vulcan we have a school of great scholars, the Vulcan Science Academy. There, because we acknowledge that each Vulcan is unique, every student has their own personal learning path laid out for them. There are no specific paths that anyone must follow, and it has always seemed to work out rather well."

Michael snorted. "That doesn't really answer the question, but that's alright. I understand that on Vulcan you guys would never be so 'illogical' as to argue over what would provide the best kind of education. But hey, since you're such a smart person, maybe you should go to Starfleet and tell them what you just told me. I'm sure they'd listen to you, since you're an ambassador and all."

Amanda frowned. "Dad-"

He cut her off. "Not now, Amanda. I'm trying to talk to your boyfriend like the nice, civil kind of guy that I am."

Carrie, Amanda's mother, rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him. He's had a bit too much to drink today. He's still so sad to see Adam off."

Amanda stood up. "I'm actually finished, and I think that Sarek and I will just be on our way now."

Michael shook his head. "No, I don't want you sleeping over that goblin's place tonight. We just lost a member of our family, and I want you to stay here and be a part of the loss with the rest of us."

Carrie nodded in agreement. "Besides, even though it may seem like we didn't care in the past, it's always bothered us that you stayed over at Sarek's place so often. You're just a child, Amanda, and by human standards, he's a full grown adult. When you're eighteen you can make whatever decisions you want, but until then you live in this house, and you follow our rules. And that means no more spending the night at other boys' houses, and no more sneaking out at night every time you disagree with something we say."

Amanda crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "You're being completely unfair. Adam's gone so now suddenly you're just going to try and act like real parents? Fine, whatever. I'm going to see Sarek out then." She grabbed the Vulcan's hand, and pulled him outside.

Sarek looked down at Amanda with some worry. "Are you alright?"

She sighed. "Yeah. It's just… I was literally just telling you about how things are getting better between me and my family, and then they go and pull something like this. I get that they care about me and they're just trying to look after me, but there was a while where I was practically living with you and they didn't even notice. I don't know. Maybe things were better when they couldn't even see me because I was so invisible. It was easier, anyways. I'm sorry. I was hoping that tonight would go more pleasantly." She tilted her head. "Were you serious about going to Vulcan and getting bonded?"

Sarek nodded. "Of course. I would not have suggested it if I did not wish for it to happen. However, it can happen at any time, whenever you are most comfortable."

Amanda grinned. "Then let's do it. Book us a shuttle for whenever's the soonest you can. We'll be bonded, and then we can come back to Earth and they'll have to recognize the bond, which means that then we can legally be married without my parents' permission. And once we're bonded and married and everything, they won't be able to legally keep us apart."

Sarek didn't exactly frown, but he did look at least a little bit worried about that suggestion. "Are you sure that you wish to go so soon? Of course I would love to be bonded at the earliest date, but I know that you've expressed, on multiple occasions, the desire to avoid going on another space shuttle again."

Amanda shrugged. "You're the one who told me that that was an illogical fear of mine, Sarek. You said that just because we happened to be unlucky enough to get onto a shuttle that was going to malfunction does not mean that it would ever happen again. Shuttles are very safe, and the odds of them breaking while in flight are very low."

"While that is true, it doesn't change the fact that the idea of going onto a shuttle at this time makes you feel uncomfortable. And I cannot entirely blame you for that, seeing as you nearly died the last time. Humans are not the only ones to fear a situation that has proved dangerous in the past, no matter what the current odds of safety are."

Before more could be said, the front door to the house slammed open, and Michael walked outside. This time he did look surprised to see Sarek, and he paused for a moment. "Oh. Are you still here?"

Sarek nodded once. "At this current moment in time I am still at this current location, however I shall take my leave of you now and allow your family time to rest tonight." He gently pressed the tips of his fingers to the tips of Amanda's, and leaned closer to speak into her ear without her father being able to listen in. "I do not know if sneaking out is the right way to go about things. Perhaps you should try talking to your parents. Even if they seem less pleasant tonight than they have during some of my previous visits, I'm sure that they'll at least hear you out if it comes to what will make you the happiest."

Amanda gave Sarek a quick kiss on the lips, and responded in an equally soft voice. "Alright, I'll talk to them, but there are no guarantees. Have a good night, Sarek. I love you."

The Vulcan nodded at Michael, and then turned and left. Amanda turned around to look at her father, and she put her hands on her hips. "What was that about tonight? You're making an ass of yourself. Sarek is a respected ambassador who does very important work with keeping open the diplomatic relations between Vulcan and Earth. You don't have to be so rude to him. He's my boyfriend and I love him, and he's always going to be a part of my life, so you're just going to have to get used to that, okay? I know that I'm young, and I know that I'm technically a child, but I've been through more than you could ever possibly understand, and I know what I want in life, so just butt out! I don't need you interfering and ruining everything all the time!"

Michael narrowed his eyes. "That's no way to talk to your own father. I thought I raised you better than that."

Amanda clenched her teeth. "Well you didn't. And that's mainly because you never bothered raising me at all. You've always spent so much time focusing on Adam that you never paid any attention to me. You didn't care what I did or who I did it with. But now your golden child is out of sight and suddenly you want to actually start acting like my parents? That's ridiculous! You can't expect me to just go along with this!"  
Michael pointed back towards the house. "Go to your room. And stay there until you can find yourself a better attitude!"

Amanda stormed back into the house, not bothering to say anything else to her father. She was annoyed that she was being treated like a child, and angry that suddenly her parents were acting like they were some big happy family unit. She wished Adam were back home already. He wasn't Amanda's favorite person, but with the attention all on him, it had never had a chance to be on her.

Amanda flopped down onto her bed and pushed her face into her pillow with a loud groan. She had no idea why her parents disliked Sarek so much. He was a good person, and he meant her no harm. If her parents really cared about her as much as they claimed, then they would understand that.

That's why Amanda couldn't wait to go off planet, even if it was just for a couple of weeks to go through with an official bonding ceremony on Vulcan. Amanda wasn't sure what the other Vulcans already knew about her from Sarek, or what they would think of her. As far as Amanda knew, there were no other recorded cases of a Vulcan and a human going through with officially bonding. And Sarek was important among the Vulcans.

But that's part of what would make it all so interesting. As much as Amanda was terrified of trying to leave Earth again, after everything that had happened last year, she also knew that she was starting to get bored of Seattle, and there was something inside of her just itching for the next grand adventure.

 **A/N- So I know that the continuity of this story doesn't exactly line up with the last one, and that's mainly because I suck at writing time travel. I should've made it a closed loop, and I could probably go back and fix that, but I'm too lazy. Anyways, don't worry about the action, because it will pick up soon. And also in case you couldn't tell, the chapter lengths are longer now.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- So I've come to the realization that updating 6 fanfictions every weekend (since I'm having some trouble with ideas on the others but I'll try to get back to them eventually) is a lot of frickin work. I'm not saying that it isn't fun, but it does drain me pretty dry when I finish one chapter of one story just to bounce to the next chapter of the next story. But I still feel bad for being away for nearly a year from most of my fics, which is why I shall continue to try and meet my goals each week. It's always nice to have the support and understanding of all my fans too haha.**

 **A/N 2- I officially took the effort to change the end of the last chapter of Star Trek Forward Through Time so now the continuity of this story will hopefully make more sense haha**

 **Debbie Hicks- I very much appreciate the enthusiasm and effort you put into leaving such a long comment. I know that it must've taken quite some time for you to write. I do already have a storyline in mind though, so I hope you don't mind that it isn't going to play out exactly as you expect :)**

Amanda put her hands on her hips, looking like she was going to get defensive before her parents had even gotten the chance to respond to her proposal. Carrie stood up, and looked down at Amanda. "So let me get this straight. You want to go to Vulcan to get permanently married to an emotionless Vulcan and pop out some freaky hybrid babies or whatever and you want us to actually agree to that?"

Michael stood up as well, looking annoyed. "There's no way in hell that we would ever give our blessing for some kind of twisted freak to marry you. You're only sixteen, Amanda! He's twenty! You're way too young to be getting married, and based on the fact that you're a minor and he's an adult by our standards, you really shouldn't even be dating him! Is it that difficult to find some nice boy in your grade who'd be willing to drop his standards enough to date you?"

Amanda crossed her arms over her chest as she looked up at her father with a hurt expression. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I'm good enough? I mean, I always knew that anyways. I always knew I'd never be able to outshine Adam in your eyes, no matter what he did wrong. No matter how much I've achieved, you've never cared at all. So of course I knew I wasn't good enough, I just never expected you to actually say something like that out loud." She let out a long breath. "Well. At least now I know where you stand."

Carrie quickly shook her head. "Oh, you know that he didn't mean anything by that, dear. It just seems like you're holding yourself to some pretty low standards if you're so afraid of human rejection that you turn to an alien. He was only pointing out that that's how you see yourself. That's all."

The teen dropped her arms by her sides, and clenched her hands into fists. "And what the hell does that mean? You think that Sarek is worth less than a human? Sarek is one of the greatest men I've ever had the privilege of meeting in my whole life! He's so good that he was selected to speak for his people despite how young he is, especially by Vulcan standards. Sarek is worth a thousand of the both of you!"

Michael scowled. "How dare you speak to your parents like that? We brought you into this world! You wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for us, so you owe us your life! And you are not going to throw that life away by eloping to an alien planet with a giant freak who's more statue than person!" Amanda was done with listening to her dad scream at her, so she turned to storm away, and her father quickly walked over to grab the back of her shirt collar. "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"

Amanda squirmed in a downwards direction until her shirt slipped right over her head, and then she ran from the room. Luckily she was wearing a tank top underneath, so she didn't awkwardly flash either of her parents. She did run upstairs to her own room, leaving her dad standing there holding her shirt.

She ducked into her room and slammed the door shut. She wanted to lock it too, but there was no lock on the knob. Amanda yanked open one of her dresser drawers and pulled out a new shirt to slip on. Then she flopped down onto her bed, legs sticking over one edge, and her arms spread out next to her. She stared up at the ceiling, feeling frustration and annoyance towards her parents.

Amanda wasn't sure if Michael was drunk, or if he was still getting over the fact that she was the only kid around the house, but he wasn't acting like himself at all. She wished that Adam was still home so that she could just go back to being invisible like before.

After a moment, the door to her room swung open. She peered up at her dad warily. "If you're just here to yell at me and insult me some more then you can just butt out. Don't talk to me again until you have something nice to say."

Michael whipped Amanda's discarded shirt towards her, and it landed on her stomach. She could feel that it was no longer weighted down by the phone she'd left in the breast pocket of it. "You're so immature. How can you possibly expect to do something as adult as getting married if you still so clearly show your age all the time?" He frowned at Amanda's lack of reaction to that. "Look, if you really like that freak, for whatever reason, and you think that he actually sees something in you, then you're free to marry him once you're eighteen and no longer living under this roof. But until then, I think it would be best to send you away. There's a very nice boarding school on Dessai 3. Exclusive to humans, and it's got a very good reputation. Your mother and I have been thinking of it for a while now. Someone needs to get you under control."

Amanda bolted up and stared at her dad with wide eyes. "You want to send me a different planet?" she asked, sounding indignant. "You won't even let me go to Vulcan for a couple weeks, but you'll send me away to some other planet for an entire school year? What difference does it make where I am if I'm not going to be here either way? Why are you so determined to ruin my life?"

Michael walked further into the room, and sat down gingerly next to Amanda. "We only want what's best for you. And clearly you have too many bad influences around here. Too many temptations. The school on Dessai 3 will change that. They've got a good reputation for dealing with troublesome teenagers, and I'd imagine that you'd get some good out of going there."

"Well how long do I get to think about it?"

Her dad shook his head. "Think about it as much as you want, but this isn't a choice. Maybe a couple months ago it would've been, but now you're getting worse and worse by the minute, and staying here will only keep you around the people that are causing you to act out so much."

Amanda was freaking out at the idea of being sent to what seemed like the opposite end of the galaxy. Away from all her friends, and away from Sarek. "I promise I'll stop acting out!" She didn't even know what she'd done that could be considered acting out, but she would swear to stop all the same.

Michael stood up. "I know you will. Once you get home from the Terran Military Academy, you'll have gotten your act together." Amanda looked away from him, already thinking about when the earliest was that she could pack her things and slip away to find Sarek and leave with him for Vulcan. Almost like he was reading her mind, Michael paused in the door. "And before you're tempted to do anything foolish, your mother and I would like for you to stay home for the next week, until the representatives from TMA are here. We've already summoned them, and they'll be here soon."

Amanda got to her feet. "Fine," she spat, even as she was thinking of making a break for it by the next night. All she'd have to do is stay put for tonight, and lull her parents into a false sense of security, and then she could pack her things and go by tomorrow night.

"It's nice to hear you agree to that. I was honestly expecting a bit more resistance from you."

Amanda shrugged. "I've obviously got no say in the matter, and there's nothing left that I can do. I'll go to your stupid school, and when I get home I'll marry Sarek whether you like it or not."

Michael patted the top of Amanda's head like she was a dog. "Wise choice."

Once he was gone, Amanda grabbed one of her blankets, and wrapped it around herself before rolling into the space underneath her bed. It's where she'd always felt the safest, and she'd chosen a blanket that was nice and cozy. Even though it was only the middle of the afternoon, Amanda squeezed her eyes shut to take a nap. She just really needed to escape from everything for a little while, and at least she could still see Sarek in her dreams. Hopefully he wouldn't get too upset by the lack of communications, since she no longer had her phone.

,,,

Amanda was woken up by the sound of a loud banging noise, and she wondered what it could be. She sat up too fast and smacked her head into the bars of her bedframe. It stung, but she was still curious about the new noise, so she rolled out from under the bed, and walked towards her door, since the sound seemed to be coming from the hall.

She grabbed the knob to turn it, and quickly realized that it wouldn't turn more than a few centimeters before stopping. She took her hand away, and realized that she didn't recognize the door knob. It had a little keyhole on it, but Amanda didn't have any key.

That's when she realized that her father must've put in the new knob while she was sleeping, and he'd put it in backwards so that the lock would be facing outwards, where he could control it.

Outrage and betrayal swelled in her chest. Amanda knew that her parents weren't normal parents, and sometimes they acted a bit unusually compared to most. They'd yell and scream and get drunk and insult her and her boyfriend sometimes, but they'd never done something so horrible as locking her in her own bedroom.

There was still sound coming from the hallway, so Amanda was pretty sure that he was still out there, and she began pounding against the door. "Hey! You can't do this! Let me out! You can't lock me up for an entire week! This is cruel! This is child abuse!"  
The noise paused for a moment, and her dad's voice came through the door, sounding a little bit muffled. "This is for your own good, Amanda. If you could, you'd run off to your Vulcan the first chance you got, and then you'd never be able to learn how to be a better person. Just relax. It's not like we plan on starving you or hurting you."

Amanda just felt like she wanted to scream. "This is hurting me! You can't do this! Let me out!"

There was no response to that, and Amanda banged on the door a few more times, and even tried kicking it down, but that was ineffective. She turned back to face her room, which seemed much smaller than normal, now that it was all she had. She couldn't contact anyone since her monitor had been taken away as well, and there were no other electronics in the room, or windows.

She walked over to one of the walls and began punching it like crazy, trying to take out all her anger and frustration. Amanda imagined that the wall was her father's face as she punched it harder and harder, though she would never admit such violent thoughts to anyone.

Amanda didn't feel any pain, but when she saw a few droplets of blood fall to the floor, she took a step back, and looked down at her hands. Her knuckles were all split open, and they were bleeding pretty badly. Now that she was aware of the problem, Amanda realized that it did hurt.

So she grabbed the shirt that her dad had thrown at her, and she grabbed a pair of scissors so that she could tear a couple of strips off of the shirt to wrap around her knuckles. Then she curled back up underneath her bed, and hoped that the week would pass quickly. She knew that she'd go stir crazy for sure from being trapped in her room for so long, and she just wanted to be taken away from her parents already and get it all over with. Amanda squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her blanket tightly around herself, ignoring the stinging in the backs of her hands. She could only hope that all of this madness would be over soon.

,,,

Sarek was drinking a mug with his favorite spice tea in it. Even though the chefs on Earth tried their hardest, they could not replicate most Vulcan food in a way that was successful. The dishes weren't too complicated, they were just not used much on Earth. But tea was easy, because Sarek had simply brought an ample supply with him when he'd first left Vulcan to head to the embassy on Earth.

The tea was soothing, and reminded Sarek of home. He knew that no matter what he told his parents, or Amanda, the truth was that he missed Vulcan. But it would be illogical to miss that place when he had adequate living quarters on Earth, and duties to attend to. And though Amanda would most likely understand what he meant if he were to tell her, Sarek didn't want to pressure his girlfriend into thinking that they had to permanently move to Vulcan.

Sarek lifted the mug to his mouth to take another sip when he suddenly felt a strange sensation zip through his entire body. He didn't even notice when he dropped his mug and it shattered across the floor, spilling tea everywhere. The mug seemed unimportant.

There was a spot in Sarek's mind that was frothing with pain and fear and anger. It was a spot that was usually pleasantly calming to focus on, as it was usually full of a golden warmth that Sarek would forever associate with Amanda. That spot held the preliminary bond between Sarek and the human he loved.

For it to be acting up so strongly now, especially since humans were a psi-null species, Amanda must truly be feeling an agonizing amount of everything that Sarek was only getting a tiny dose of. And Sarek needed to know the cause of those feelings. He needed to know what was wrong with Amanda so that he could help her.

He rushed outside, and called her as he got into one of the embassy cars. " _This is Amanda Grayson. If I'm not available right now then it probably means that I'm busy doing something cool and you should just-"_ Sarek hung up, even more worried than before since he couldn't contact her.

If Amanda had somehow gotten herself sent to the future again, then Sarek would know, because he would feel the bond fade as though they were a million miles away. So time travel wasn't the issue. Which meant that Amanda was in a lot of pain, and didn't have her phone on her. It was all extremely worrisome to Sarek.

He tried calling Carry Grayson, to find out if she would know anything about where her daughter was or what could be happening to her. She didn't pick up her phone either. Though he didn't get her voicemail message, which usually meant someone had seen who the caller was, and purposely hit the ignore button. He tried calling Michael Grayson as well, but he had no luck with it.

Sarek knew that he wasn't the best of friends with Amanda's parents, but he couldn't think of any good reason they could have for outright ignoring him. Though Vulcans were not generally inclined to admit when they were feeling things, Sarek couldn't help admitting to himself that he was very much afraid. He gripped the steering wheel of the car tighter, though he had to force himself not to crush it.

Whatever was going on, Sarek was going to figure it out. He couldn't stand the thought of Amanda hurting so badly, and he wanted nothing more than to find her and provide comfort. And if any person had been the one to cause so much misery, then god help that person, because Sarek would kill them.

He hoped that Amanda was alright as he pushed the gas pedal slightly harder, forcing the car to speed much faster than was legal on this road. But Sarek didn't care. All he cared about was making sure that his beloved Amanda was okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- I'm not sure if it's because this story already has a different tone than the last one, or if it's just been such a long time that all the original fans of the first story are no longer around, but I shall continue to persevere with this one for now. And I really hate to be that jerk who holds a story hostage, but if I don't get any feedback within the next couple weeks, I'll probably drop it because I do have so much else going on. Hope it doesn't come to that, and I really am sorry to be That Guy ™**

Amanda tore her sheets and blankets and pillows off of her bed, and flung them to the other side of her room, though it was feeling like the other side was getting closer and closer with each passing minute, simply because of the knowledge that there was nothing else for her.

Then she grabbed the edge of her mattress, and with a lot of effort, she pulled it off of her bedframe. The mattress was heavy, but she managed to remove it, and lean it up against one of the walls. She grabbed a pen off her desk and leaned over the empty frame, quickly finding one of the screws that was holding it together.

She tried to use the pen to twist the screw up, but all that happened was the pen tip snapping off after a moment, spilling dark blue ink all over the floor. In frustration, she grabbed the frame and lifted it as high as she could before dropping it down. It slammed into the floor with a satisfyingly loud bang.

Amanda bent over to look closer at the floor. She couldn't tell if it had taken any damage from that. She lifted the bed frame and dropped it back down again. She did it a few more times, though it didn't seem to do anything to break the floor, meaning that it was all just a waste of energy. And her knuckles were throbbing from being used so much after just being injured. She flopped down onto her nest of blankets to take a break.

After a while, she realized that she was able to hear the front door downstairs opening. Her heart filled with hope. Whoever was down there wouldn't be able to just ignore a girl in captivity. Amanda didn't know anyone besides her parents who would be so mean, and she knew that her parents didn't have any friends that would agree with this particular parenting technique.

So she began jumping up and down as hard as she could, while screaming loudly. "Help! Help me! I'm trapped! Help!"

There was only silence from down below, so Amanda wasn't actually sure whether or not anyone had heard her. She kept doing it, until she could hear someone running up the stairs, and the door to her room began shaking. "You shut up in there, you hear me? I've already explained to you how this is for your own good. I am your father so how dare you defy me?"

A moment later, there was a loud thud, and Amanda listened in silence. She pressed her ear against the door and held her breath, trying to hear everything that was happening. There was a pause, and then a familiar voice spoke. "Amanda? Please step away from the door now so that I may break it down."

"Sarek," she breathed out. She was saved. Amanda hurried to move out of the way. "Alright, kick it down." There was a loud crack as the door broke right in half rather than just breaking where the lock was. Apparently the dead bolt was much stronger than the center of the door was. She jumped into her Vulcan's waiting arms. "You came for me?"

He nodded. "Of course. I would find my life to be rather empty were you to not be in it. What caused your parents to go to such drastic measures? I've never been particularly fond of them but now I feel that they are especially in need of some punishment."

Amanda shook her head. "It's my fault. I told them that I wanted to go to Vulcan to get married to you, and they completely flipped out. I shouldn't have said anything. I should've just gone with my gut instinct to pack my bags and go. And don't do anything to hurt them, okay?" She glanced over at where her father was lying unconscious on the hallway floor. "Don't do anything else to hurt them," she amended. Then she took a step back. "Just give me a moment to grab a few things, and then we'll go."

Sarek looked almost hesitant. "You only told your parents about your wishes for the future because I had insisted that you do so. Otherwise you would've gone with your 'instincts', no?"  
"Ah, what difference does it make now? The point is that things have played out in a certain way, and now I'm going to go pack up a few things. Then I'm going to stay at your place until you can book us some transportation to Vulcan. I want to go through with the ceremony as soon as possible, because once we're officially recognized as married, we'll be free to be together here on Earth, too."

Sarek bowed his head. "If that is what will make you happy, then there is nothing more in the world that I could wish for. It would be my honor to make our bond official on both of our planets. However, I do hope that you are doing this for the right reasons."

Amanda had knelt down in front of her dresser to start shoving clothes into a backpack, though she paused to look back at Sarek with one eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

The Vulcan seemed like he didn't know quite what to say without causing any offense. "If you wish to marry me on Vulcan as a form of teenage rebellion against your parents, which is a quite common practice among humans, then that would not be right. While I find 'despicable' to be a kind word to be used for them, going against them simply for the sake of going against them is not-"

Amanda rolled her eyes. She got up, leaving her backpack on the floor as she walked over to the Vulcan. "Sarek. You are an idiot sometimes. I'm with you right now because I love you. I have for as long as I've known you. And I know that there's always going to be people against our relationship, not just my parents. People who don't want to see a Vulcan with a human, or a human with any alien, or a couple with our particular age difference. There are going to be a lot of people against us for the rest of our lives. Do you really think I'd sign onto that just to get back at my parents? Do you really think I'd want to go through all the potentially horrible things we may go through if I didn't truly love you with everything I've got? You're the one who proposed to me, you stupid Vulcan. You can't just go and take that back now." She stood on the tips of her toes to give Sarek a quick kiss. "Now stop being so insecure and keep watch while I finish grabbing my stuff. I'll meet you downstairs."

Sarek raised one eyebrow. "What exactly would I be keeping watch for? And why would it be more efficient for us to separate now?"

Amanda laughed. "I was going to say you should keep watch in case my mom comes up. But I guess you've probably already taken care of her by now anyways. So fine, you can just stay up here with me. It's not going to be anything really interesting going on though." She shoved some more clothes into her bag, then looked around her room, trying to figure out what else she would need. Nothing that would bog her down in their travels, but she didn't want to leave anything behind only to find that she could never get it again.

She rummaged through her closet for a moment, then pulled out a stuffed tribble she'd had since she was a baby. It had always been her favorite plaything when she was younger. She shoved that in her bag, then reached even further back in her closet so that she could grab the dusty box that was lying there. She pulled it out, and Sarek looked curiously at what appeared to be an old soap box. Amanda pulled off the lid, and pulled out a bunch of stained off-white stuffing. She pulled aside the white cotton, and triumphantly held up a small card. "There's a few thousand credits on here. My parents don't know that I have it."

Sarek tilted his head. "As an ambassador for the Vulcans, I have plenty of money. You do not have to worry about that."

Amanda shrugged. "I know. But I'm not the type of person to live off of someone else if there's any way for me to carry my own weight, and you know it." She put the card into her pocket, then looked around the room again. She wanted to double check it, and make sure that she really wasn't leaving anything behind. She glanced at her bedside table, where she usually kept her reader, but it wasn't there. Her dad must've taken that along with everything else to make sure she wouldn't be able to contact anyone. "I'll have to get a new reader at some point. Though that also means getting new copies of all my books. What a pain."

Sarek shook his head. "I believe that I have your reader in my possession. You left it in my dwelling the last time that you came to visit. I did not bother to mention it at the time, as I had assumed you would be back over soon enough that you would not have time to miss your books. When we return there once you're finished packing, you may retrieve it."

Amanda grinned. "Ah I guess my forgetfulness does have it's uses then. I wouldn't want to spend all that money on getting all the books if I already own them somewhere else. Hang on a minute. There are just a few more things that I need to grab." She walked across the hall to the bathroom, and grabbed her toiletries. She just barely managed to make those fit on top of her clothes, and then she closed her bag, hoping that it wasn't going to pop open from having too much stuff in it. She could've pulled out some of her clothes, but she wanted to take as much with her as possible. She went into the hallway, where Sarek was casually standing next to where Michael was sprawled on the floor. "Well, I think that's everything. By the way, how did you manage to make him stay out cold like that for so long?"

Sarek smiled. "I simply 'pinched' a certain set of nerves in him, and I did the same to your mother downstairs. It causes no lasting harm, and they will wake up in a couple of hours, none the wiser as to where we could've gone. It is a technique taught to Vulcans, and we are often thought of officially as adults once we are able to master it. I believe that I was an especially quick learner in this ability. So we have plenty of time to leave her, you don't have to rush."

Amanda grinned, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Can you teach me how to do that? Let's call it the Vulcan pinch of death! That makes it sound cooler!"

Sarek nodded slowly. "I suppose it would do no harm to teach you, though I must warn you that most who are not Vulcans find it nearly impossible to successfully complete the learning of the nerve pinch. And as it does not cause death, or even physical harm, calling it the 'pinch of death' would be illogical."

Amanda started towards the stairs. "There are a lot of things that are illogical on this world, darling. But maybe you won't have to get so used to it after all."

The Vulcan followed Amanda down the stairs, though he seemed slightly surprised by the huma's words. "What do you mean by that? As an ambassador who is currently residing on Earth, it is logical to 'get used to' all the nuances that make up human behavior so that I will be able to properly fit in."

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know. I've just been thinking. Maybe we don't have to come back to Earth after the ceremony. Just a year ago we were ready to take off and never come back. The only reason we've even been here for so long is because I insisted that it be this way. But you were perfectly content with the idea of leaving and never coming back before, so I think that it might be something to seriously consider again. While yesterday I might've wanted to come back after the ceremony, now I'm not so sure that there's anything here for me to come back to."

"You have friends and family who live on Earth. If you were to move to Vulcan, or any other planet, you would not be able to directly communicate with them as often as you do right now."

They walked through the first floor of the house, heading towards the front door. "We can easily chat through video communications. Maybe it wouldn't be as often and it wouldn't be quite the same, but don't be so melodramatic. It's not like I'd never be able to see them again. And as for family, all I've got is my parents and Adam, you know that. No grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins. And if I go a few years without seeing my parents, that could be best for everyone. And I was never very close with Adam anyways. If my parents don't say anything to him, he probably won't know that I left until he comes home on break. Maybe not even then." She looked up at Sarek with wide eyes. "What's really wrong? Why are you suddenly so against something that you wanted so badly just last year? Not that much has happened in a year that could completely change your mind, right?"

Sarek opened the front door, and led Amanda to the car that he'd driven up in. "Nothing has happened. I simply want whatever will make you happiest, as illogical as it may be to feel such a strong emotion."

Amanda tossed her bag into the trunk, then got into the front passenger seat. Once Sarek was in as well, she gently swatted him in the arm. "Oh come on, you can't pretend like you've never been happy before. Anyways, I know what I want, and what I want is to be with you forever. And I don't particularly want to keep sticking around with my parents, because let's be honest, they kind of suck. So let's go, Sarek. We don't even have to stay on Vulcan after we're married, if you don't want to. We could go anywhere in the universe. It's so big, there's no way we won't find some place that works for us both."

"And let me guess, you'd like to be the one driving us around the universe on a fancy little starship since you love them so much?"

Amanda smiled at the teasing tone in Sarek's voice. She knew that most humans wouldn't be able to pick up on it, but it just felt so natural to her to be able to read his emotions and thoughts as easily as if he were human. "Maybe. I'd be a damn fine starship captain, and you know it. Probably the best one ever."

Sarek nodded. "I believe that to be absolutely true. Though I'm not sure whether you'd ever have time to attend to your duties as captain as you'd be too busy being enamored by the ship itself. That, or reading."

"That's fair." She smiled. "Well, maybe I'll be a teacher then. I'll show other people how to love reading as much as I do."

That brought a frown to Sarek's face. "That reminds me of another problem that may arise if you choose to remain on Vulcan. The education is much stricter, and you may have difficulty in keeping up with the courses as you are unused to such teaching methods."

Amanda raised one eyebrow. "Are you saying you think I'm dumb?"

There was a pause, and then Sarek stiffly shook his head. "Negative. You are simply not trained to learn in such ways."

Amanda leaned back in her seat, not looking worried. "That's fine. I'll just be satisfied with what I already know from my school here on Earth. It's not like I want to go back there for further education amongst all those idiots anyways. Besides, you could always tutor me, right? You said it yourself that you're a fast learner, and I already know for sure that you're smarter than me."

Sarek shook his head. "I am not smarter than you. But I would be willing to tutor you if that is what you want."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "You know you're allowed to want things sometimes too, right?"  
He offered a small smile. "What I want is your happiness. Whatever brings that about is fine with me."

Amanda leaned over in her seat so that she could rest her head against Sarek's shoulders. "Well, alright then. I guess that's fine." She smiled. "I love you."

He took one hand off the wheel so that he could touch it lightly against one of Amanda's hands in a Vulcan kiss. "I love you as well." They drove the rest of the way back to Sarek's place in a comfortable, happy silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**tanseynz- I'm always surprised by people who are still showing interest in Forward Through Time despite the fact that it's been over for quite a while, but I'm glad that you liked it. To be honest I got tangled up with the characters a lot towards the end too, which is why I decided that this story would have no time travel in it. And yes, Amanda's parents are absolutely crazy. I sort of hinted towards that in FTT but since the parents were never seen, it was never really explicitly shown. She is better off with Sarek, but I'm not going to let this story become too tame hopefully haha**

Amanda woke up to the smell of something burning and the sharp beeping of a smoke detector, and she was tempted to roll over and pull the blankets up over her face, but she knew that that would not really solve anything. And if the entire apartment was on fire, then that was definitely something that Amanda would want to make her business.

She got up with a loud groan, annoyed that she was being woken up so early, and she wandered into the kitchen. Sarek was staring at the cooking unit with a puzzled look, and there was smoke rising up from the charred remains of whatever had been on that pan.

Amanda rolled her eyes, then she pushed Sarek aside and quickly turned off the heat. She turned on the ceiling fan, and opened the kitchen window to help air out the room. Then she grabbed the pan off of the stove, held it under some warm water in the sink, and scraped the burnt scraps into the trash. "Seriously? Are you trying to get us all killed?"

Sarek shook his head. "Negative. I simply believed myself capable of making food that would be available upon your awakening. I thought it would be a productive way to spend my time, seeing as Vulcans do not require as much sleep as humans." He glanced towards the trash can. "Instead I awoke you early to rescue me. I apologize. I shall attempt to cook again in the future so that I will be able to gain this skill."

Amanda shook her head, and laughed softly. Her irritation at being woken up early quickly disappeared when her heart started fluttering like that. Sarek was so sweet, trying to make her breakfast in bed, and anyone who claimed that Vulcans didn't have any feelings had to be complete idiots. She stood on the tips of her toes to press a gentle kiss to Sarek's mouth. "It's alright. I forgive you. Why don't you just sit down and let me make you something."

"Yes, perhaps that would lead to a more favorable outcome."

Amanda smiled. "How did you manage to burn whatever that was so badly anyways?"

The Vulcan frowned. "I recently purchased some new reading material that I wished to peruse. I had read much of the story yesterday, and had reached a thrilling point in the climax. I did not realize that eggs would require such a watchful eye, or I would not have attempted to multitask."

Amanda couldn't stop smiling as Sarek sat down at the kitchen table. He was so damn adorable. "All those twenty-first century feminists would hate me for this, but I must say that it would probably be best if you stick with letting me do the cooking. At least until those fancy future machines get invented and we can have whatever we want whenever we want."

Sarek shook his head. "I do not believe that there would an issue with you cooking. It is not because you are female and I am male, it is simply because I currently lack the skills required for this particular task, and I must do some more learning before I will be ready to attempt it on my own again." He pouted as he sat there and watched Amanda practically dance around the kitchen. "How long did it take you to become competent at cooking?"

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I can remember ever getting any specific lessons. But everyone can cook eggs." She glanced over at the trash can. "Well, almost everyone can." A few minutes later, she slid a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Sarek. "Voila. Enjoy. And I'll teach you at the least the basics at some point, I promise. I don't know anything beyond the basics myself." She tilted her head. "How have you managed to survive this long on an alien planet without knowing how to cook?"

Sarek frowned. "It is easy to purchase pre-made meals that can be delivered to my home for a small fee. And it is also easy to go to an establishment where I can pay professional chefs to prepare me a meal."

Amanda laughed. "Ah. I thought that you took me out to eat so much because you didn't know how else to impress me. But it's actually just how you usually eat. You sound like a typical American college boy, Sarek. Take in and eat out and that's how you've survived. And I guess that means your only homecooked meals came from you eating over at my place?"

"Affirmative."

Amanda sat down next to Sarek, and she quickly ate everything that was on her plate. "Well, I guess we're both going to have to do some learning, then, because no offense, but I don't want to live with your parents on Vulcan, and if we're living alone, we'll need to know how to fend for ourselves."

Sarek hesitated in between mouthfuls of eggs. "You are still very young. You are not even old enough to be considered an adult in this country. And this is not the only planet where your age will be looked at dubiously in relation to mine."

Amanda raised one eyebrow, curious about what her Vulcan was trying to get at. "Sarek, Vulcans don't beat around the bush. Just tell me what you're talking about."

He nodded. "I watched a program on the television, and it involved an angry judge in a human court of law who allowed a man to go to jail for making romantic overtures on a child. By your laws I am an adult man, and you are a child."

The human frowned. "So are you afraid of going to jail? Is that what this is about?"

Sarek shook his head. "I am worried about the things that man said to that child. He said that she was mature for her age, and deserved better than the boys who she knew from school. He said that he loved her, so the age difference didn't matter. The judge then said that he was a pedophile who was taking advantage of the girl. Perhaps your parents are right-"

Amanda immediately stood up, and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're going to say that those psychos who locked me up in my room without any means of communication are right? Dude, they are obviously completely bat shit crazy! Nothing they says can be right! And besides that, you're the one who's been happy to be with me for over a year now, and you're the one who proposed to me! God, why does everyone have to make such a big deal of my age? It's not like we've had sex or anything like that. We've just been spending time together and being happy."

Sarek stood as well, and he stepped closer to Amanda so that he could pull her into a hug. "Ah, you are correct. The sexual aspect of the relationship did appear to be the only part that was considered illegal. I do not wish to sound like a 'pedophile' or a 'sexual predator', but I do love you very much. And you're right in that I proposed us bonding to you, because I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He stepped away to sit back down and continue eating. "Today I shall look into making the arrangements to get us to Vulcan. Once we are there, we will be able to explain the situation to the elders, and they will officiate us bonding. I look forward to that."

Amanda waited a few seconds before sitting back down as well. "Yeah, I look forward to that too. Then I'll finally be able to read your mind the way that you're always reading mind. Oh don't give me that look, you've never been subtle." Once they'd finished eating and everything had been cleaned up, Amanda and Sarek settled in the living room, sitting close together on the couch. "So what book were you reading that was interesting enough to make you forget completely about the fact you were in the middle of cooking something?"

"It is a classic old story known as In Bed with a Flower."

Amanda tilted her head. "I've never heard of it. What's it about?"

"It is about a young girl whose parents plan on selling her to a powerful man to be his wife. She gets married against her will, and vows that she'll get free in exactly seven years and seven days. After the first day of marriage, where she put up the biggest fuss she could, she promised to be good if her husband gifted her a single flower. Then she acted like a perfectly complacent wife to make everyone forget about her plans for freedom, and to convince her husband to allow her more mobility. Then, seven years and seven days after their marriage, the girl makes a meal for her husband, and she fills it with poison that she'd been collecting. A single drop from a poisonous flower she'd planted after her husband had gifted it to her every week. He had checked the flower everyday for the first year to make sure she'd never ripped it up and ground it into his food. He didn't know that she was content with waiting. After those seven years, she was ready. She fed the food to her husband, and both of them died." He hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, I've given away too much of the story."

Amanda shook her head. "Keep going. I'd rather hear about it from you. You just have such a lovely storytelling voice."

A faint green tinge rose to Sarek's cheeks, but he did continue as requested. "The twist at the end of the story was that the husband had been a great man all along, and he'd been prophesied to be the savior of a million people. The girl knew this, and killed him all the same, wishing for her own freedom more than that of a million others. But when he died, everyone assumed it had been their enemies, and they rose up together, defeating their enemy thanks to the martyr that the man had become. It's a rather tragic tale, but somehow has a hopeful feeling to it. The people all waited so long for the man to save them that when he died early, they couldn't bear the thought. And they ended up proving that they never needed his help to free themselves. And of course, the girl got her freedom as well."

"Yeah. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be forced to marry someone you don't love. I don't think I'd have it in me to kill anyone though. Especially not if I thought that they were supposed to do something very important. But who knows. That does sound like an interesting story. I guess that could be worth burning eggs over."

Sarek nodded. "Yes, I believe that is true. While I was attempting to cook, I was just reaching the end, where the food was being poisoned. I found it illogically impossible to put the book down until I heard the smoke alarm go off."

Amanda tilted her head. "I wonder why she let herself die too, though. If the people were going to see it as an enemy attack, wouldn't they still see it that way if she lived?"

Sarek shook his head. "She did not know that that would be the reaction, considering that she'd left behind a note. But she'd forgotten to sign it before showing it to her husband so he'd be aware of his impending death, and it simply appeared to be a threatening notice from some unknown assassin."

"Huh. Fascinating. You'll have to loan it to me sometime."

Sarek looked confused. "But why would you wish to read it when you already know the entire story?"

Amanda shrugged. "Because it could still be interesting. And don't you reread your favorite books even though you've already read them before and know what happens? Besides, if they ever make a vid of it, I want to be able to proudly say that I read the book first." She laughed. "I wish that I'd read something new that I could tell you about."

Sarek noticed that Amanda's mood seemed to be dropping, and he couldn't figure out why. "I can give you your reader now so that you'll be able to read many books."

She smiled, and pressed herself up closer to Sarek. "Thanks, but that's not it. I was just thinking about the girl in your book. I didn't even realize it until recently, but I've always been trapped by people I'm supposed to love, too. I know it's not quite the same when it's your parents versus your husband, but in some ways, it's worse for it to be your parents. You know that they're supposed to love you unconditionally, but then when they don't, it just hurts."

Sarek wrapped his arms around Amanda, and squeezed her closer to him, if that were even possible. "I did not think of that comparison earlier. But it is true that your parents have constantly attempted to keep you somewhere you do not wish to be, and more recently, they wished to send you somewhere far away where you do not wish to go. Luckily it did not end in the same extreme way that the book did. I would not be able to ever be happy if you were dead."

Amanda rested her head against Sarek's chest. "I feel the same away. I'd hate for me to die." After a pause for Sarek to appreciate her wit, she got serious again. "I'm serious, though. I'd never want to ever see anything bad happen to you. That's partially why last year was just so horrible. That first moment when I woke up in a strange place surrounded by strange people, I had no idea where you were or whether you were safe. I was worried out of my mind. And of course, the other people on that ship just thought I was straight up out of my mind at first." She sighed. "Was it weird for you to see an older version of me?"

Sarek thought back to the adventure that they'd gone on a year ago. "Of course. She did not act like you, though she didn't act more mature than you do. We did not get along very well. But I don't think that's any sort of indication of our future, since my future self seemed to get along with her quite well." He shook his head. "If you really wish to talk about this then I will not stop you, but I find that I don't like to speak of the things that have happened to us. I'd prefer to look to our future rather than our past."

Amanda grinned. "But in this case our past was in our future."

Sarek almost rolled his eyes, but he forced himself not to because it would simply be an illogical action. "You know what I am trying to say."

"I know." She sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I know that all that stuff that happened to us was completely crazy. And you're right. We should just be looking to the future right now. Our future. And not forty years into it, of course. I love you, Sarek."

He gently maneuvered them so that he could extract Amanda's hand, and press his fingertips against hers. "And I love you as well." After sitting there for a few minutes, Sarek carefully moved Amanda aside so that he could stand up. "If we are to get to Vulcan as quickly as possible, I should begin to make my phone calls now."

Amanda nodded, and watched Sarek head into the small office that he usually used to make important calls to Vulcan, or to the other ambassadors that he knew. Amanda felt pride swell up in her chest at the thought of her soon-to-be-husband being such an important person. He was given a lot of trust and responsibility because the Vulcans knew that he was perfectly capable of succeeding at all of it.

She stood up and stretched, then headed back into the bedroom. Amanda had been woken up too early in the day, and she wanted to at least take a quick nap to make up for the lost time.

 **A/N- The book that Sarek described was completely made up by me on the spot so if the plot doesn't make much sense, that's why haha**


	5. Chapter 5

Amanda and Sarek stood side by side, and they both stared at the small shuttle that would take them up to their transportation ship. Even though neither of them was willing to say so out loud, they were both feeling a bit apprehensive to get on board. After everything they'd gone through last time they'd gotten onto a space shuttle, it was an understandable feeling.

When several minutes had passed, and neither of them had yet moved to board, the attendant who was standing by looked at them with one eyebrow raised. "Hey, you guys have tickets, so are you getting on or what?" He gave them an almost sympathetic look. "Scared of flying?"

Sarek frowned. "It would be illogical to fear a simple shuttle, as statistically, 94% of all shuttles that take off reach their target destination in the proper amount of time without any difficulties. However, we have been a part of that 6% in the past."

Amanda took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. She grabbed one of Sarek's hands and squeezed it tightly in hers, even though she knew that that was a little bit inappropriate. Then she began walking towards the boarding ramp, pulling Sarek along with her.

The two of them hurried up the ramp and onto the shuttle so that they could quickly strap themselves into their seats. They both just wanted to get the whole flight over with so that they wouldn't have to keep thinking about all the terrible things that could happen.

There were no spots left where there were two seats open right next to each other because the young couple had taken so long to get on board, and it would be too much trouble to ask the other passengers to move themselves around. Amanda gave Sarek's hand another quick squeeze. "It's alright. It's not like we won't be able to see each other or anything. It's not the largest shuttle in the world."

The Vulcan looked unsure. "I know that, and I know that it is illogical to worry, but I cannot help but think of last year. Just a few inches between us made all the difference."

Amanda gave Sarek what she hoped was a comforting smile. "If I'd been on your half of the shuttle, I probably would've died. Humans can't go into healing trances the way that Vulcans can. And besides, if sitting right next to each other wasn't enough to keep us together, then sitting a few seats apart won't change a thing." She stood on the tips of her toes for a moment to press a brief kiss to Sarek's lips. "We'll be alright. There's no reason that anything bad will happen to us again. And the ride will be over before you know it."

The attendant walked onto the shuttle, and looked at Sarek and Amanda with some impatience. "Would you please strap yourselves in so that we can take off without making everyone on board late?" He tapped the small watch that was wrapped around his wrist. I love you."

"I ashaya du," Sarek responded in a soft voice. Then the two split to get into their seats, and quickly strapped in.

Once the shuttle began moving, Amanda realized that she was just a bit too far away from Sarek to be able to talk with him, since it would involve them shouting back and forth across the small cabin, and she was sure that the other passengers would not appreciate that.

Instead, she turned to the human sitting next to her on her left, and put a friendly smile on her face. "Hello. I'm Amanda."

The woman frowned. "Ah. I see." Then she looked down at the reader that was resting on her lap, clearly stating that she was busy.

Amanda turned to her right instead, and saw that it was a young man. He looked pretty nervous, and Amanda was glad she wasn't the only one scared of going off into space. "Hello. I'm Amanda."

The man turned to her, and seemed to relax a little bit. "Oh, hello. I'm Nathan. So where are you headed?"

"We're going to the USS Exploration to get a ride to Vulcan." She nodded towards where Sarek was sitting, his eyes closed as he entered a light meditative state for the trip. "That's my boyfriend over there. We're going to get married." She couldn't help the glee in her voice.

Nathan glanced at Sarek, then back at Amanda, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Oh wow, you're dating a Vulcan? What's that even like? I heard that they don't have any feelings."

Amanda quickly shook her head. "Now that's not true at all. They're definitely better at hiding their emotions than humans are, but they have plenty of them. In fact, sometimes I think they may even feel more strongly than we do. It takes a little bit of time, but mostly it comes down to having to learn how to see what's beneath the surface. I can read my Sarek as easily as I can read any human."

Nathan nodded, looking impressed. "That's pretty cool. Though you do look a little bit young to be getting married."

Amanda shrugged. "I'm old enough to know that I'm in love, and that's all that matters to me." She smiled. "So where's your destination?"

The man sighed. "I'm going on the Exploration as well. She's a good, sturdy transportation ship, and I've ridden on her many times. I'm not going to Vulcan, though. I'm headed to Cartithia. It's a relatively new discovery, but it's got a thriving colony on it, and my wife is already waiting for me there."

"So why do you look so nervous? Do you dislike being out in space as much as I do?"

Nathan smiled, looking happy. "No, that's not it. It's because my wife, Ariel, is pregnant, and she's due any day now. I'm nervous that I won't make it to Cartithia in time to see our child born." He tilted his head. "If you dislike space so much, why are you going all the way to Vulcan to get married? There are closer planets, and believe it or not, there are even ways to get married on Earth."

Amanda glanced at Sarek again before answering. "Well, he's a Vulcan, so it wouldn't feel right to not allow him to partake in the traditions of his people. Plus, as far as I know, getting married on Vulcan means that we'll get the additional benefit of a marriage bond. It's like a telepathic link as far as I could tell from looking it up. That sounds pretty awesome to me." Of course she wasn't going to mention the part where she was an underage runaway to this complete stranger.

Nathan frowned. "That doesn't sound like my cup of tea at all. I can't imagine wanting to be in Ariel's head all the time, and I love that woman more than life. To each their own, I suppose. So are you planning on just living on Vulcan for the rest of your life? I'm not even sure humans are capable of surviving their harsh terrain for very long."

"We haven't really thought that far in advance yet. We're just trying to get the marriage ceremony done with so that we'll be free to settle down wherever we want without rushing back to Vulcan." She shrugged. "We may even end up returning to Earth. Sarek technically works on Earth since he's an ambassador for Vulcan, though I'm sure that there are many planets in need of diplomacy, so who knows."

They chatted for a while longer, until Nathan's leg was bouncing up and down at a very rapid pace, and he kept cutting himself off mid sentence to stare out the windows. "Oh, I can't wait to see my family again." He didn't turn back to Amanda again, so she assumed that that was his way of telling her that their fun conversation was over.

That's when the lady on Amanda's right turned to look at Amanda. "Sorry for my rudeness earlier. I was in the middle of editing several important documents, and I'm also not used to being talked to by strangers on shuttles. I'm Ren."

Amanda looked surprised. "So what? You're saying that most lone travelers just sit in awkward silence for their entire ride?"

Ren nodded towards the rest of the shuttle, where there was no more noise than a few quiet whispers between those who seemed to have boarded together. "Generally, yes. Anyhow, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier with that man, and I was wondering what sort of job you may be interested in going into. Certain planets would not be compatible with every job a human could think of."

Amanda shrugged. "I want to be a teacher someday, I think."

The woman frowned. "Well, I can't be of any assistance with that. But teaching is definitely not the only job available to you. With your good looks, you could easily make it as a model on any planet with humanoid beings on it." She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket, and pulled out a small glossy square. "This is my business card. If you ever want to get into the interplanetary modeling business, just let me know. I'm sure it would be easy enough to get you some kind of starting job. And once people see you in the right clothes and the right makeup, they won't stop offering you new gigs. Just think on it."

"I'll think about it, but I can basically guarantee that that's not the field I'm going to go into. Thanks for the card though."

Ren smiled. "No problem. And it doesn't have to be about the job. If you need any kind of help with anything, just let me know."

Amanda liked to believe in the goodness of people, but she also wasn't completely naive. She tilted her head. "Why would you want to help me?"

Ren shrugged. "I can't help but think that you remind me of myself when I was younger. I was a lost kid who didn't know where in the universe I belonged, and it ended up taking a harsh toll on me. If it weren't for the kindness of a single person who didn't get anything in return, then I may not be here today. That's all. Sometimes in life you're allowed to help people even if you know that you won't get anything out of it."

Amanda glanced over at Sarek. "Thanks, but I'm not lost. As long as I'm with the person I love the most, I don't think I could ever truly feel lost." She slipped the business card into her pocket. "But you've definitely inspired me now. I hope that if I ever come across someone who is in need, I'll be able to help them out."

Before anything more could be exchanged between the two, the attendant called out to all the passengers. "Attention everyone! We are now docking the USS Exploration. Do not unbuckle yourselves or attempt to exit this shuttle until we are safely docked and I tell you that it is acceptable to proceed. All of your bags will be unloaded separately, and you will be able to sort those out amongst yourselves in a few minutes. I hope that you all found this ride to be safe and comfortable, and that you will leave a good review. For now, please bear with me for just a few more minutes."

Amanda grinned. "Ah, we're getting so close. I'm relieved, to be honest. I thought that the whole shuttle ride was going to be excruciatingly slow. My last ride on a space shuttle wasn't nearly so painless." She looked at Ren curiously. "So where are you going, anyways?"

Ren shrugged. "Wherever the stars take me, kid."

Once the official announcement was given to let them know it was okay, everyone unbuckled, and staggered out of the shuttle. They looked around the smooth floors and fancy interior of the Exploration's shuttle docking bay with varying expressions, from indifference to awe.

Sarek and Amanda quickly found each other, and exchanged a very brief hug. Amanda grinned. "Oh, that ride was awful without you there."

Sarek rolled his eyes. "Don't over exaggerate. I could clearly hear you making lots of friends the whole time."

After all the luggage had been removed from the shuttle, Amanda and Sarek quickly grabbed their bags. When every passenger had grabbed their things, they were led out of the large bay area, and through a long hallway. They were in the process of being shown the room that they'd stay in for the duration of the ship, and Amanda gave Sarek an excited look. "This feels like those fancy cruises that we have on Earth all the time. I mean, I've never been on one, but this has to be what they feel like."

The illusion was taken away slightly by the fact that all eight shuttle passengers would be sharing a single cramped room, mostly made from bunks that were stacked up on top of each other. The crewmember who'd been leading them around stopped in the doorway to speak to all the passengers. "None of you have access to the bridge or lower three levels of this ship. The cafeteria is always open, and each of you are able to retrieve three meals there per every twenty-four hour cycle. If you need assistance, you may ask a crewmember. Ten hours of every day, many lights onboard are dimmed to simulate night time, and that is when it is recommended that you sleep. You will share a shower room with the other passengers on this level, and that can be found just a few doors down." He barked out a few more rules, then asked if there were any questions. When there was no response, the crewmember nodded, and hurried off.

Amanda sought out Nathan. "I thought you said this is a good transportation ship? This doesn't seem comfortable at all."

Nathan shrugged. "I never said it was a cruise ship. It's meant to bring a large amount of people to their destinations in the fastest amount of time possible. The rooms are designed to be a place to sleep at night and nothing else really, so that they could efficiently fit as many passengers and crew members on board at the same time, without sacrificing the space needed for any of the hardware. It's a pretty sweet set up over all. You should be dropped off on Vulcan within a few days."

Amanda flopped down onto one of the bottom bunks, and let out an overly dramatic sigh. "This feels like some kind of health hazard to have us squished in here like this."

Sarek didn't seem too bothered by the lack of space. "It is logical to design the living quarters in the most space efficient way possible. And this room contains enough space for all eight of us, along with storage space for all of our belongings. While it is not what you are used to, it will serve it's purpose until we return to Vulcan. Though I am surprised you were not already aware of the conditions on this ship, considering your fascination with them."

Amanda shrugged. "I could tell you what kind of engine she's got, or how many windows there are. How many floors, and crew members and whatever other random detail you could think of. But I just never considered learning how they store their passengers. You'd think they'd want to give us more bedroom space so we would have a place to hang out and we wouldn't be motivated to wander around the ship and get in the way."

Sarek sat down on the edge of the bed that Amanda was occupying. "Perhaps. But we will only be here for a few days, and I'm sure that you'll be able to endure it until then."

One of the other passenger's stomachs let out a loud growl. "Well, I don't know about y'all, but I'm starving. I'm going to go find the cafeteria." He quickly wandered away. A few of the others left behind him, but not everyone.

Ren flopped down onto a different bottom bunk. "Well, this blows. I was hoping for a bit more space to myself. But I guess only captains get that kind of privilege. Whatever. I think I'm going to take a nap." She drew the curtains that were around the bed to block out the light in the room, and to offer herself some semblance of privacy.

Amanda scooted over so she could pull Sarek fully onto the bed, and then she motioned for him to draw their curtains as well. They had to curl up close to fit together on the small bed, but neither of them particularly minded. Amanda smiled, and rested her head on Sarek's chest. "I so can't wait to be married to you."

Sarek smiled in return. "And I feel the same way about you."


	6. Chapter 6

**LORIOVER50- I'm really glad you like this story so far! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long and that you're still checking. I like to update all my fics on a weekly basis, and this one usually comes out on Thursdays.**

 **Debbie Hicks- You seem to still be reading and enjoying this as well, which makes me very happy**

 **A/N- Hm, so I know that it's not my usual style, and it isn't the same genre, but I'm thinking of turning this into one of my first "horror" works. Horror in parentheses because I doubt I'll actually be able to scare anyone. Ah, just wanted to put it out there that that's where this is going, starting this chapter. That includes warnings for blood and gore and stuff**

Amanda didn't mind that she and Sarek were being accompanied to the cafeteria by Nathan and Ren. Both of the humans she'd met on the shuttle seemed friendly and safe enough, and it was nice to know that she could make new friends even when she wasn't on Earth. Though she wasn't sure how easily she'd been able to win over other Vulcans, she knew that humans could be just as unfriendly at times, and that made this a good start. Plus it meant she'd have people to talk to besides Sarek for the next few days.

Sarek seemed mildly disappointed that the cafeteria was not stocked with any Vulcan foods, and Amanda couldn't help remembering those food replicating machines in the future. Those would certainly be handy someday when they became real. For now, Sarek would have to stick with a salad.

The four passengers sat together at the same table, and the few crew members who were there gave them the occasional curious look. After a few minutes of quiet small talk between Nathan, Ren, and Amanda (Sarek claimed he didn't believe in small talk whenever it involved someone besides Amanda), one of the red shirted crew members strolled over to their table.

He was very tall to the point where he had to hunch over to walk through doorways, and everywhere that wasn't covered by his uniform showed a layer of dark purple velvety fur. He smiled, and motioned to one of the empty seats at the table. "May I?"

When no one else said anything, Amanda was the one who shrugged. "Sure."

He sat down, and looked right at Sarek. "I must admit, I was a bit surprised to see a Vulcan on board. I mean, I know that we're stopping at Vulcan, but it still feels so odd. And to see you actually sitting amongst others even though there are other open tables? I thought that Vulcans weren't social creatures."

Sarek spoke stiffly, though to most people he sounded exactly the same as usual. "If you intend to ask me a question, it would be more efficient to just ask instead of attempting to use subterfuge. Otherwise, perhaps you would find yourself able to engage in a more riveting conversation with some of your own peers."

The man blinked all three of his eyes at the same time. "I didn't mean to offend you, Vulcan. I was simply trying to start a conversation. If you're going to be so sensitive about it, then I will talk with someone else." He turned to Amanda, who was sitting right next to him thanks to the round table design. "Hello. I am not an expert on human biology, but you appear to be a child. Are you going somewhere to meet with a parent or guardian perhaps?"

Amanda squeezed Sarek's hand under the table, even though she knew he'd probably find the action to be indecent in public, and she grinned at the crew member. "Actually, me and this man next to me are going to Vulcan to be officially married."

The crewmember's eyes narrowed. "Wait a moment. You are traveling together with the Vulcan?" He jumped up from his seat. "Please, excuse me. I do apologize for so rudely interrupting your meal." He hurried from the room.

Ren stood up, and stretched her arms up over her head before speaking. "I'm going to go after him. He seemed really soft, and even if that's racist, I just really want the chance to pet him." She pushed her tray towards Amanda. "Dump that for me, will you?" Then she turned and left the cafeteria as well.

Once the woman was out of the room, Nathan turned back to Amanda and Sarek with a shrug. "Well, that wasn't even the weirdest thing that I've seen on one of these ships."

Amanda raised one eyebrow. "Hey, so I was wondering why your wife is already on the colony that you plan on going to. And where else have you gone to have used these transportation ships so often?"

Nathan shrugged. "My wife is a researcher, and was brought to Cartithia severals years ago, just after it was discovered, while the slots were limited and my unemployed and untalented ass wasn't needed there. However, since she is my wife, I am allowed to visit her often, so I'm quite used to riding back and forth on these ships. And now that the colony has stabilized more, they have the space for non-essential personnel, so I am moving there to be with Ariel and our child. I only hope we get there soon enough that I don't miss the birth."

Sarek, who'd been partially paying attention to the conversation the entire time, decided to butt in. "What does your wife research?"

Nathan smiled, looking very proud. "She's currently studying a top secret resource on Cartithia. It seems like she's doing very important work for the Federation, even if she can't tell me about it." There was almost a hint of sadness there too, but it went away so quickly that Amanda was sure she'd imagined it.

Amanda smiled as well. "You seem to love her very much. It must've sucked to only see her a few times since she left, but I'm happy for you that you get to finally be with your family."

Before they could keep talking, several security guards walked into the cafeteria, and they didn't seem to be there for lunch. They were all holding their phasers out, and Nathan let out a scared squeak while Amanda leaned closer into Sarek.

The crewmember from before came out from behind the guards, and pointed to Amanda and Sarek. "Check the pictures. That's definitely them!"

Amanda furrowed her eyebrows. "What the hell are you talking about?"

One of the guards motioned for the crewmember to be quiet for a moment, and then she turned to look at Amanda. "Are you Amanda Grayson?" Amanda bit her lip, then nodded slowly, not wanting to lie. The guard let out a soft sigh, and took several steps closer to the table. "An Amber Alert has been released from Earth. They say that Amanda Grayson, sixteen years old, resident of Seattle, Washington, USA, was kidnapped from her home by a Vulcan ambassador after he assaulted both of her parents and caused destruction within the household. Are you that Amanda Grayson?" the guard nodded towards Sarek. "Is he holding you against your will right now? Don't be afraid to tell the truth. We will protect you."

Amanda's face twisted in anger at the thought that her parents truly could be so cruel. Even after all the effort her and Sarek had put in to get away together, how could her parents make everyone think that Sarek was a bad guy? She gave Sarek a quick glance, silently letting him know that it would be best for her to do the talking for the moment. She stood up to look at the guard. "Technically that's me, but it's all lies. My parents were the ones holding me against my will, and Sarek's the one who saved me. He didn't harm either of my parents, he just put them unconscious, and the only 'destruction' he caused was breaking down the door to the room I was locked up in. Sarek and I have been dating for way over a year, and I'm here with him now of my own free will. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, but I didn't realize how far my parents would take things. Please, believe me."

The guard sighed. "I'd like to believe you, but this isn't a matter to be taken lightly. If there is something else going on here, or you're lying now out of fear, then we can't just take you into another planet without investigating further."

Amanda scowled. "Come on. Do I really look scared to you? Do I look hurt in any way? Like I said, Sarek and I are together, and we're in love, and we just want to go to Vulcan and be married. Why is that so hard to accept? And besides, think about what you must know of Vulcans. Where would be the logic in kidnapping a human girl?"

The guard pressed her lips together for a moment. "The men of any species may see the logic in taking a female into their custody, whether it's willfully or not." She nodded towards one of the other guards. "Two of you take the Vulcan down to the brig, and one of you escort Ms Grayson back to the passengers' dorm. This matter will be looked into before we reach Vulcan."

Sarek stood as well, and spoke in his usual calm voice. "It is alright, I do not plan on resisting. Everything Amanda has said is true, and I will patiently wait for you to come to the same conclusion."

Amanda stared at Sarek with wide eyes as he walked over to the two guards who'd just been assigned to him. "Sarek, what are you doing? You can't just go along with this! You haven't done anything wrong! It isn't fair!"

"I apologize for causing you concern, ashayam, but it is best to cooperate. I should have realized your parents would do something like this, based on their previous behavior towards you. But do not worry. We will still reach Vulcan, and be married there." Then he let himself be led away.

Amanda stared up at the head guard with her jaw clenched. "You're making a big mistake. Why doesn't my word mean anything here? I'm telling you that I wasn't kidnapped!" She felt close to tears, but she refused to let her eyes water even a bit. If she looked weak, then the guards might interpret that as her being a victim. She just couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Why couldn't she just be happy for once?

Nathan stood up slowly, and stepped towards Amanda. "I can bring her back to the dorm."

The guard frowned. "I still want a guard to accompany her."

Amanda glared at the guard. "Why? Am I a prisoner? Am I under arrest? Have I done anything that warrants all my actions being spied on? Because if I have, then throw me in the brig. And if not, then leave me alone." She stormed out of the cafeteria, with Nathan right on their heels.

They reached their room and went inside. The other passengers who were gathered there all stared up at Amanda as she walked in. One of them walked in front of Amanda and grabbed her hands. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. If I'd known that you were being held hostage, I would've tried to help before we'd left the Earth's atmosphere. If only we'd gotten that alert just a little bit sooner."

Amanda yanked her hands away. "That stupid thing is a complete piece of garbage. I am traveling with Sarek of my own free will because we're in love, and we're heading to Vulcan to be married." She flopped onto the bed she'd shared with Sarek just a few hours ago, and pulled the privacy curtains shut around her.

The curtains were pretty good at blocking out noise, since all Amanda could hear from the others was a faint murmuring, but no words could be made out. She couldn't believe that this was happening. It was that stupid purple alien who'd been the one to say something. Too bad Ren hadn't managed to catch up with him in time to stop him from reporting them.

Mostly she was pissed at her parents. They had no right to try and ruin her life like this, just when she'd thought that she was out of their range of influence. She wasn't going to cry though. Even if they held a thorough onboard investigation and trial, they'd come to realize that Sarek was completely innocent. Though even the mention of this in his records would ruin his reputation, and probably prevent any planets from allowing him to be an ambassador anymore.

Amanda sat up, and rolled out of bed, having to untangle herself from the bottom of the curtains as she fell to the floor. She looked around, and saw that the room was much dimmer than before, indicating a fake night cycle had already started. She started towards the door of the room, and stopped for a moment when she glanced at Ren's bed. It was the only one that was empty, besides the one that Sarek would've been using.

She slipped out into the hallway, and wandered around until she found an observation deck. It wasn't empty though. Ren was already standing there, leaning up against the glass.

Amanda walked closer, and cleared her throat so that she wouldn't startle the woman. "Hey. Where did you run off to earlier if you weren't catching up with that purple alien?" She sighed when there was no response, but didn't try to move closer than she was. She didn't want to invade the older woman's personal space. "I wish you'd been a little faster in catching up with him. That guy is causing such hell right now. I can't believe my parents actually put out a stupid Amber Alert on me. There are plenty of kids out there right now who could use those resources and attention, but instead, it's on me. And now Sarek's in the brig, and who knows what's going to happen." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I didn't realize how scary it would be to not have him by my side here. Even though I have you and Nathan, and I'm sure I could befriend some of the other passengers, I know that it's never the same as being somewhere familiar with someone familiar. But I'm not making a mistake. I want to spend the rest of my life with Sarek."

After a long moment where there was still no response, Amanda narrowed her eyes. She took a few more steps forward, and noticed something slowly trickling down the glass, though it was hard to see in the dim lighting. She stepped closer, and put one hand on Ren's shoulder.

The skin beneath her hand was a bit too cool. "Ren? Are you sick or something?" She tugged on Ren just the tiniest bit, to try and urge the woman to turn around. "Did I do something to upset you?" A moment later, Ren flopped to the floor, and without anything obstructing the view, Amanda could see that it was blood on the window.

She looked down at Ren, who was lying on the floor unnaturally still, and there was a lot of blood around the woman's throat. Her eyes were wide open, staring blankly up at the ceiling, and her pretty face looked so falsely peaceful. Amanda took a few steps back, and let out a loud scream.

 **A/N- If the horror thing is already proving to be a no good idea, then just let me know. I might've just watched too many horror movies lately haha**


End file.
